Setback to medha Patkar, court rejects plea for new witness…
A delhi court has rejected the plea of social activist medha Patkar, in which she had sought to present a new witness in the defamation case against Lieutenant governor VK Saxena. The court termed it as a deliberate attempt to prolong the trial and said that the judicial process cannot be held hostage in this way.
The case is pending for 24 years
The court said in its order that the case has been pending for the last 24 years and all the witnesses initially listed by medha Patkar have already testified. There are serious doubts over the intention of presenting the witness after so many years. The court also mentioned that Patkar had earlier filed an application on august 18, 2023, but at that time she had not mentioned this witness. Now suddenly the demand to present this witness shows that this is an attempt to unnecessarily prolong the case.
Legal flaws in the petition
Judicial Magistrate First Class Raghav Sharma of Saket court Complex said that the petition was filed under the wrong legal provisions, but the court still gave its verdict on its merits. He said, "If witnesses are allowed to appear without any solid reason, then the cases will never end. This will affect the judicial process and set a wrong example of unnecessarily prolonging the cases."
medha Patkar has caused delays earlier too
VK Saxena's lawyer told the court that between 20 june 2005 and 1 february 2023, the case was postponed 94 times only due to medha Patkar's absence and her plea for adjournment. When the court issued summons in 2005, medha Patkar refused to testify 46 times and did not appear in court for 7 years. Even after appearing in court for the first time in 2012, she postponed the case 20 times. She remained absent for a long time even during cross examination and sought adjournment 24 times. The court made it clear in its order that this case cannot be delayed any further. This decision is being considered a big relief for VK Saxena and a big setback for medha Patkar.
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